Holy Spirit | Ps Glenn Bleakney

[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome to the Newman Church podcast. Wherever you are in the world, we are so glad that you've joined us. Our prayer is that this message will reveal more of who our heavenly Father is as we grow deeper in intimacy with Jesus. Enjoy the message. Thank you, Pastor. Pastor Kai, right prophetically. Thank you guys. Please be seated. Amen. So good to be here with you and in God's house looking for to getting into his word. We're going to be diving into a topic that I think is very relevant, especially at this time of year, which is all about the Holy Spirit. And on the 19 May is actually what we call Pentecost, which is the commemoration of the coming of Holy Spirit into the world. Right. Feast of weeks, also known as Shavuot in Hebrew. I think it's pretty close how to pronounce it. And it's a really interesting thing. So we're in a time where we're going to jump into this. The whole thing about understanding the person in the ministry of the Holy Spirit. And honestly, one of the things that is really disturbing is the amount of churches that actually operate without Holy Spirit. And it should be something that we really recognize. You know, it's not like someone has said, I think it was Bill Johnson, Father, Son and Holy Bible. As much as we honor the word of God, we recognize that it's God's word, it's the holy scriptures, but it points back to him. The scriptures point to him. Right. Remember Jesus said in John five, the scriptures testify of me. So it's very important that we recognize and step into that place of understanding the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We're going to go over to John chapter 14 this morning. While you're turning there, John chapter 14, let me just mention for those of you who would like to connect with some amazing things that are happening around the world through Numa, we're in the process right now planting three churches, one in Spain, that is reaching unreached people group in the southern part of Spain, also in the ministry there is going into Morocco. I just spoke with the pastor the other day, literally on Friday, and he told me about what's happening in Morocco. It's amazing, guys, you know, if you are in a Moroccan, you're not allowed to go to church. Okay? So you're not allowed, you're not allowed to have a public gathering. So that's how, how it is. So it's really, really difficult. There's international churches, but there's not really churches for the people there. So there is a work that's happening. It's underground, meaning in homes mostly. And in the southern part of Morocco in particular, where it's very few believers and very few churches, there's actually ministry that's happening down there. In fact, this Wednesday, there's a trip that's happening which will be in the southern part of Spain, then back up, I'm sorry, Morocco, then back up to the north. And God's doing amazing things. And then in the brazilian community in Orlando and then also Singapore. Those are areas. So what we do every year is we have a time where we ask people to really pray about partnering. And yeah, prayer. Prayer is important, but it's not about the amount of money. That's not it, but it's about, can we all look at doing something? And so we have cards that you can grab before you go out. And there's different ways to give all the information is there? But if you would take that, pray about it, fill out your details and bring the card back, you can check what you'd like to do. Of course, it's just a commitment based in good faith, and you may want to change that. If the holy spirit leads you, he always leads you to give more, though. You know that, right? So he does when it comes to reaching people with the gospel. So it's an opportunity for us to partner together to do this. So we would encourage, if this is your home church, would you please consider this? It's going to help us to continue to advance God's kingdom around the earth. And this was started every year. Typically in about November, those things are finalized, those projects, and we begin the process of getting everything moving. And so that's where we're at with that. So, yeah, thank you very much for your prayerful consideration. Partnership with the Lord in regards to advancing his kingdom around the nations. All right, John, chapter 14. Let's just go there. We're going to be reading verses 15 through 18. John 14, 1518. Everybody got their bible? Anybody have an old school Bible here? Okay. Everybody's got one on their phone, right? So we can all. Let's do that. I'm gonna be reading from the new King James, which is the version that the apostle Paul and Jesus used. No, I'm just kidding. But seriously, let's look at the words of Jesus starting verses 15 through 18 of John 14. Jesus said, if you love me, keep my commandments and I will pray the father and he will give you another helper or comforter. Some translations say advocate that he may abide with you forever. Wow. The spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you. All right, this is a powerful passage of scripture, but let's just look at it in the context of what was happening. This literally is the final week of Jesus life before he went to the cross. And when you pick it up, obviously what we refer to as Palm Sunday, when the coming of Jesus and how they cried out and Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. And then from that point on, jesus began to prepare the disciples in just. In terms of really just accelerating that. Okay, guys, I'm gonna be leaving. Like, let this sink in. I'm leaving, but you're not gonna be alone. I'm not leaving you as orphans. I'm not abandoning you. In other words, he said, I've got something I'm going to do. That's very significant. And he speaks about the person of Holy Spirit, meaning on the Trinity, the third person of the Trinity, Holy Spirit. And he said, I will send him to you. He will give you another helper that he may abide with you, the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. So he's referring to this one called Holy Spirit that he says is another helper or another advocate or another comforter. But it's very interesting because the word that he uses there, another actually means another one, just like me. There's two different words in Greek, and one means another, but different one means another that's the same. And that's the word he uses here. Holy spirit is just like me. Well, that makes sense, considering they're both God. And Jesus begins to prepare the disciples. So I want you to think about this for a moment. If you knew that you had a short time left on planet Earth like you were in your final days, what would you say to those that are nearest and dearest to you? What would you do in your final weeks or months on planet Earth? Well, this is exactly what's happening. This is the context. Jesus knows he's leaving. He's not going to be with them much longer. So he begins to speak into that. He begins to actually do certain things that are very intentional and very powerful to prepare the disciples for when he leaves. So if we look at chapter 13, for example, we see there the, literally Jesus washing his disciples feet. We see Judas betraying Jesus. Actually, Judas is probably the only person that took communion. And was demon possessed. It actually says that when he ate the bread, the spirit came into him. That's full on, isn't it? And then it actually, we look at Peter's denial as well. And then chapters 17, we see Jesus praying. What we call the high priestly prayer of Jesus, literally is his final prayer. The most extensive record of Jesus praying the gospels is in chapter 17. He prays for himself. He prays for the disciples that were with him at that time. And then he prays for you and me. He prays for every single person that will live and come to faith in Christ. So he was praying for us. Can you believe that? 2000 plus years ago, he was actually praying for us. It's powerful. Then chapter 18, we see the betrayal and the arrest of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane, culminating in his death on the cross at Golgotha. Well, I left out three chapters and those three chapters are chapters 1415 and 16. And there's not really a narrative there, but they focus on teaching Jesus teaching. I mean, again, what would you say to those that are closest to you if you knew, hey, in one week I'm gone. I'm out of here. Hasta la vista, baby. I mean, what are you gonna say, right? Jesus begins to talk to them about his transition. Hey, guys, I'm leaving, but I'm not gonna leave you alone. I'm gonna send Holy Spirit. And Holy Spirit will be with you forever. Chapter 16 talks about Holy Spirit. In chapter 15, he talks about the vine and the branches, which also relates to the communion or the fellowship that we are called to have with Holy Spirit. It's a powerful passage of scripture that really brings us to a place where we recognize that God has a plan for each and every follower of Jesus Christ to have an intimate relationship with holy spirit. There's several things that Jesus said that are quite significant. Verse number 18, he says, I will come to you. What does he mean, I will come to you? I thought he's leaving. Yes, I will come to you, but I will come to you in the person of Holy Spirit. So I'm with you. I'll still be with you. Verse 19, they would still see him a little while longer, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. So, I mean, that's. And Jesus, of course, later on they literally ask him, so how's that going to work? How is it that the world won't see you, but we'll see you? Well, Jesus actually begins to speak about that. And he says in verse 21, he who has my commandments and keeps them. It is he who loves me, and he who loves me will be loved by my father, and I will love him. And listen to this and manifest myself to him. I will manifest myself to him. So again, he's speaking about a specific group of people. Not everyone is going to see him physically. He's no longer going to be with them on the earth. He is not going to be with them incarnate, but spiritually he will be, not only with them, but he will be in them. Through Holy Spirit, I will manifest myself. It literally means to break out with light, to break forth with glory, to bring revelation and illumination. It's a very powerful thing that even though we don't see him physically, we experience him and we see him spiritually. In fact, the two different words that are used here, one of the words actually, when it speaks of seeing Jesus, is seeing him in a different way, seeing him in a more powerful and clearer way. So you're going to experience me in a way. Watch this. That when you were on the earth, you weren't able to experience me when I was on the earth with you. It's an upgrade, is what he's talking about. So when we jump down to chapter 16, let's just go over there. Verse seven. Jesus says this, nevertheless, I tell you the truth, that it is to your advantage that I go away. It's expedient that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper, the comforter will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send him to you. So it's expedient. It's very beneficial that I go away. Well, can you imagine how the disciples were feeling? Beneficial. You're leaving us. You're walking away from us. You're telling us, how can this be beneficial? How is this expedient? Jesus begins to speak to them clearly. He says, this is really going to be a good thing. Now think about that. This is going to be a good thing. Wow. Well, think about that. His exit from the earth meant the entrance of the Holy Spirit into the world. The mission of the Spirit could not begin until the mission of the Son was ended. Jesus could not come in the spirit till he had ceased to live in the flesh. One writer puts it this way. The withdrawal of his Jesus limited bodily presence prepared the way for the recognition of a universal presence. What does that mean? Jesus was limited by a human body. Yeah, he was God, 100%. It wasn't 50% God, 50% man. He's 100% God. But 100% man. And the interesting thing about that is he took on a body. He was limited time and space. He couldn't be everywhere at any time in the sense that, yeah, he could do things. I'm sure he could if he wanted to. He walked through walls, but he wasn't omnipresent. There's even things that he said he didn't know as a man. No man knows the day of the hour. It's not even me, just my father. In the same chapter in John 14, he actually says, the father is greater than I. Now, greater is a word that refers to position, not person. He's not saying the father's better. That would be the appropriate word, if that's what he was meaning. But he's greater by virtue of his position, by virtue of the fact that I've humbled myself, Philippians two, and become a son and am obedient to him, and I've taken on a human body. He said, the father is greater. Jesus would go to the cross and give his life, and he would be resurrected, present himself to the father. Then he would show up and be on the earth for 40 days, appearing to the disciples and speaking to them about many things pertaining to the kingdom of God. That's what it says in acts, chapter one. So for those 40 days from what happened on Passover to actually Pentecost, okay, which is 50 days. So what happens is the first 40 of those 50 days, he's actually appearing to his followers, and the conversation is all about the kingdom, is what it says. Wow. The kingdom, the kingdom, the kingdom. He loves the kingdom. He speaks about the kingdom. He came to bring a kingdom. So Jesus, who was limited by a human body when he was on the earth, was only able to help one person at a time, or really just those who are in immediate vicinity now. We can create all and concoct all types of narratives. Well, Jesus spoke the word, and boom, people were healed. Yes, he did. Jesus could do this. You know, he would say something in that. Yeah. But he still literally was contained by a human body. He was encased by mortality and time and space. There was things that he was not able to do. And his assignment, his mission, was to the lost sheep of Israel, not to the nations. Why is that? Romans 116 says the gospel is to be preached to the jew first, then the Gentiles, but it has to start with the Jews. That's what Jesus came to do. But then the commission that he gave to his followers was that when you receive the Holy Spirit, then you go and preach repentance and remission of sins to the nations of the earth. Luke 24 49. Interestingly, he did not tell them to go and preach the gospel. He said, wait. Tarry in Jerusalem. Sit down is what it means until holy spirit comes. And when Holy Spirit comes, you'll be baptized, you'll be filled literally. You will be endued or clothed with power from on high. And then you go and preach the gospel to the nations of the earth. Don't do it until you receive the fullness of the power of the Holy Spirit. So 50 days after Passover on Shavat, the feast of weeks, Pentecost, we call it, is when they're gathered for ten days. They're in one accord, in one place. They're praying, they're seeking God. And then Holy Spirit shows up. You know the story. It's in acts, chapter two for those of you who are reading the book of acts twice, right? Okay. This month we're reading together acts two. Suddenly, right as they are in that place, Holy Spirit shows up. They're speaking in other languages. They're declaring the mighty works of God. Now, let me say that Holy Spirit has been greatly misunderstood by the church. We have two responses to him. Often he's an unwelcome guest because we're afraid of him. What will he do if we really invite him in? Like, that's too risky. Let's keep him in a closet. We'll talk about him once in a while, let him pop out every so often, take a look. But to actually allow him to have his way, hmm, we don't know what he's going to do. He's a bad person. The other response is, we actually just allow holy spirit manifestations to be the focus of everything that we do, and we stop preaching the gospel, and we focus on the manifestations and the experiences. When Holy Spirit came again, he's always been filling people throughout the centuries, since the day of Pentecost, but in a very fresh way in Azusa street back in 1906, one of the things that one of the leaders in the Azusa street movement by the name of Frank Bartleman, who was a newspaper reporter at the time and who himself received the fullness of the Holy Spirit, he actually prophesied, he said, the day will come when Holy Spirit manifestations and gifts will actually go to the extreme. And he said, we have to make sure that the upper room never overshadows the cross. Now, think about him saying that at that time, it was like very few people had experienced the fullness of Holy Spirit. There was a hunger, there was a desire for more. What was birthed out of the Methodist church, in particular the holiness movements. There was a hunger for God. But let me tell you that many of the people that initially received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the outpouring in Azusa street were actually Baptists. In fact, there was this whole mindset of entitlement among the holiness people that, hey, we know God's about to send revival. Something's up, we can feel it. God's going to do something. They anticipated it and they were saying, surely it's going to be among us because we're not like those Baptists or Presbyterians or Anglicans or whatever. And God's going to do it among. And let me tell you that many of them were overlooked initially. God did show up and he touched people. Same thing happened in the late sixties and the early seventies in what was known as the charismatic renewal. Over 50 million people in the United States, and I know it was significant here as well, came to Jesus during the charismatic renewal. 50 million people. We're talking about Kathryn Kuhlman and the full gospel businessmen and all these great movements that were birthed during that time. It was an incredible time, but by and large the pentecostal movement rejected it. They weren't comfortable seeing catholic priests and nuns laying out under the power of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues and prophesying Lutherans and others. They struggled with it like it was the same thing. Like who do these guys think they are? They don't have the, you know, their theology is very questionable and how they pray and you know, or don't pray. And so literally many of the Pentecostals were bypassed. But I want to say to us this morning that Holy Spirit, if your interpretation or understanding of Holy Spirit is that you will just, that it includes only a prayer language or speaking in tongues. You've missed out on the most significant part of Holy Spirit and who he is. Because there is a cliche, it's really a slogan which kind of says this. Have you been filled with the Holy Spirit, baptized with the Holy Spirit, with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues? You ever hear that? Okay, sometimes say initial physical evidence. Do you ever? So do you. And look it. And as much as I believe speaking in tongues is a gift for every one of us, he who speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself. Right? So it's for personal edification. That's what I'm referring to. Not the tongues with interpretation, which is for corporate. Not everyone has that gift, but everyone has access to a prayer language, and it's a powerful thing. It changes everything. But the point I'm trying to make here is it's not just that because you can speak in tongues and not have the fruit of the spirit, you can speak in tongues and be living a lifestyle of heinous, I mean, deplorable sin. God wants us to have his fruit and his power. In acts one eight, Jesus said, you will receive power. He didn't say, you will receive tongues, but he did talk about that, at least in mark 16. But you will receive power. Dunamis, when Holy Spirit comes upon you to be witnesses, the word from which we get martyr. A witness is a martyr. How many want to be a witness? Not necessarily physically, right, but to die to yourself, to be so alive to Christ and his purposes that it's a clear testimony. It's the most powerful testimony. It's a person who's dead to themselves and fully alive in Jesus. Galatians 220, it's no longer I that live, it's Christ that lives in me, right? So it's all about receiving the fullness of the power of the Holy Spirit. There are gifts that he gives, and he wants us to have the gifts. It's very interesting how we as human beings react. You know, if we see something being abused or it's excessive, we go to the other stream, right? We go from this ditch to this ditch rather than stay in the middle of the road. So we throw the baby out with the bath water. And God wants us to recognize that there is a reality for us in which we live in the Holy Spirit and he lives in us. See, we are called to live in the spirit. It says in Galatians five that if you've been born of the spirit, then make sure you live or walk in the spirit. You become a pentecostal pedestrian. You walk in the spirit. But interestingly, one of my mentors, the late doctor John Ruthven, who was the mentor for Doctor Randy Clark and others, actually spent a lot of time pouring into me about this. And one of the things he used to say is that in the scriptures, in the gospels in particular, he says there is this whole emphasis on the explicit mission of Jesus, which by and large is ignored by traditional theology. The explicit mission of Jesus, which by and large is ignored by traditional theology. What is the explicit mission of Jesus? In all four gospels he's introduced as the one who will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire. When you look at acts chapter two, let's look at verses 38. And 39 for a moment, Peter, on the day of Pentecost, they were speaking in tongues. There was fire. It was pretty full on. What happens is people are like, okay, so what do we do? It says, they were cut to the heart in verse 37, said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brothers, what shall we do? Peter said to them, repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins. And then he says this, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Often what we do is we say, yeah, repent, believe in the gospel. And yes, you need to be baptized. And we stop. But the early church clearly said no, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It doesn't end with just believing, repenting, and even being baptized with water. Repent, every one of you, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Well, Joel, chapter two, obviously, is quoted in the second chapter of acts. And let's look at particularly starting at verse number 17, where it says, and it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy. Your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on my men servants, and on my maidservants, I will pour out my spirit in those days. And they will prophesy. They will prophesy. Isn't it interesting in acts 19, when Paul shows up at Ephesus and there's believers there, and he actually says to them, have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? So they were believers? He said, no, we haven't even heard of the Holy Spirit. What were you baptized into? Well, we were baptized into Jesus. Okay. So they didn't understand it. So Paul begins to teach them what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and then he lays hands on them, and I believe there was seven of them, and it says that they all spoke with other tongues and began to prophesy. I have seen Holy Spirit do some amazing things. I remember being in Jakarta, Indonesia, literally in an underground gathering with some believers that were in a very highly hostile area towards Christianity, and gathering and seeing Holy Spirit come into the room of young people, and they were just filled with the Holy Spirit. Filled with the Holy Spirit falling out under the power of God, out for sometimes 2 hours at a time, speaking in tongues, prophesying, okay? And literally saying things in Bahasa that ended up spilling out, literally out onto the street, going outside into the street. And in Bahasa saying, repent and believe the gospel. Jesus is the Messiah. Repent under the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit. Powerful. I've seen God do so many amazing things in terms of filling people with the person of Holy Spirit. And it's a beautiful thing. It's an encounter. It is literally an experience that is supernatural. And God wants us to undergo these type of experiences in our relationship with him at times. But we can't just stay there. See, sometimes we think, well, that experience was literally the fulfillment of that purpose of God filling me with the Holy Spirit. In other words, it's the culmination of the purpose of Holy Spirit. But the experience was not the end all. The experience is actually the beginning of a journey. It's the beginning of a lifestyle where we learn to live in Holy Spirit. And I love the fact that Isaiah in chapter 59 speaks of the coming of the Holy Spirit and how God will actually fulfill his covenant with his people, initially with Israel, but then with us today in allowing us to experience the fullness of who he is. So go with me to Isaiah, chapter 59 for a moment. We're just going to look at this. Isaiah 59. It's amazing. This is all about covenant. Let me say in no uncertain terms that if God does not fill his people with Holy Spirit, he's actually not being true to his covenant promise. If the gift of repentance, which it is a gift, the gift of eternal life, which is a gift, if it ends there, and we don't step into the gift of being baptized with the Holy Spirit. By the way, the word baptized in the original language, do you know what it means? It literally means to be immersed. But remember when it said that Judas, the one who would betray him, they asked him, so, Jesus, who will betray you? And he said, the one who takes the bread and dips it, that's when he was demon possessed. The word that is translated dip. There. Think about this bread being dipped into the wine. That is the word for baptize. So what happens when you take bread and you dip it in grape juice or wine? Yeah. So you're saturated. You're filled. In fact, in ancient greek literature, that word is actually used of a recipe for making pickles. So the idea is literally or marinating? The idea of being marinated. So the idea is you're filled. You're saturated with holy spirit. It's a beautiful thing. He fills us through and through. So going back to Isaiah 59, looking at verse 21, this is what the Lord says. As for me, says the Lord, this is my covenant with them. I said, if God doesn't fill his people with Holy Spirit, he's not making good on his covenant. My spirit, who is upon you, and my words which I've put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants, descendants, says the Lord, from this time forevermore. Hallelujah. This is the gospel according to Jesus. As I stated, it is said in every one of the four gospels that he will be the one who will baptize his people with the Holy Spirit. Yes, he's the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Absolutely. But it doesn't stop there. He wants to give us power. He wants us to have power, not just pardon from the past, but power for the present, power to be witnesses. How are we witnesses of Jesus? Our lifestyle is a big part of it. I've heard people say things like, well, that person is a prophet. Prophets are nasty in so many words. Well, they're just harsh. They're just. No, I'm sorry. New Testament prophets, actually, even though they may be direct and strong, are called to manifest the fruit of the spirit. Every one of us is called to manifest the fruit of the spirit. You know, when the priests went into the temple and there were pomegranates around the skirt of his garment, there were actually 18. Some say, well, maybe nine for the fruit and nine for the gifts, the manifestations in one corinthians, twelve. The point is, we are called to have fruit and gifts. Some people want gifts and no fruit. Some people want fruit, but no gifts. Well, you can't choose. It's not an option. If you receive the Holy Spirit and you allow him to have his way to fill you, to saturate you, to permeate you, you will change, you will be a nice person, even if you weren't previously. But you will also step into a place where you begin to manifest the power of God. See, he gives us gifts, he gives us fruit, and he wants us to literally walk in both. So the baptism with the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit came into the world, as recorded in acts chapter two in particular, it literally occurred on the day of Pentecost, or the jewish holiday known as the feast of weeks. Shavyan. Now, Jews and devout Christians rightly identify Pentecost as the date when the Ten Commandments or the Torah was given to the Israelites on Mount Sinai. Remember that? Okay, so we're going to walk through this. We're going into Exodus 19 for a moment. I want you to remember that this is something very significant. Pentecost was a jewish holiday before we celebrated it as christians. Very important. In fact, everything that Jesus did literally was a fulfillment of the jewish feasts, everything. He died on Pentecost, on Passover, etcetera. So it's very important that we understand this. So what happens is God literally, on what we refer to as Pentecost, or the feast of weeks, that was the occasion when he gave the law or the ten Commandments to his people. So remember, in Exodus 19, God's original plan was that he would have direct communication in relationship with his people. What did we settle for? Many of us have settled for a book about God and not the author. The Jews wanted the book, but they didn't want the author. Let me show you this. Watch this. Okay. So God speaks to Moses regarding his people and his intention. Verses five, six, and then verse nine. Exodus 19. Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words, Moses, that you shall speak to the people. Then, verse nine. And the Lord said to Moses, behold, I'm coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe you forever. So until now, God has dealt only with Moses on behalf of his people at Mount Sinai. He turns to address them directly in order to express the core of his covenant obligation. So what happens is God begins to speak to them. Exodus 20. Right. Verse number one. What is Exodus 20? And the Lord said to Moses, thus, you shall say to the people of Israel, and then as you continue to follow all the way down to verse number 17, he gives them the ten Commandments. It's powerful. But I want you to understand this, please, that God isn't just. See, sometimes we think that it's Moses is actually up on top of the mountain, and God's speaking to him, and he's writing it down, bringing it down to give to the people. And it's like the first time they'll hear it. It's not true. The people heard God speak. The people heard him speak and literally give them the ten Commandments. A decalogue. So look at what it says in verse number 22. Actually, it says this. And the Lord said to Moses, thus you shall say to the people of Israel, you have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. Hey, guys, this is bigger. God's like, hey, Moses, you've been the mediator, but I want to change that. I want to speak to my people. I want my people to hear my voice. Now, the fullness of that would be realized in the new covenant. Not until the new covenant would the fullness of that be experienced by God's people, where the baptism and the person of the Holy Spirit is all about revealing Jesus to each one of us so that each one of us actually have access to hear from him. We read acts two, your sons and your daughters, men, servants, maid servants, young, old will prophesy. Let me say something about prophecy. Prophecy is simply repeating what God says. I'm not saying it's word for word, but I'm saying how he reveals it. But there's a sense in which the old covenant is actually all about walking and living in a place of hearing God being led by holy spirit and becoming more and more intimately acquainted with him. His desire is that we hear his voice. He doesn't want us to go through a mediator. In the new covenant, Jesus was the mediator, and he made a way for you to directly hear from the Father. Now, yes, he can use people to prophesy into your life, to share things, a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge. But that is not meant to be a substitute for your personal relationship to hear from him. But yet, like Israel, we'd rather have the prophet tell us, right? You got to put the hard yards in there. See, what happens is, how does Israel respond? After they heard the voice of God, they chose rules and laws over a living relationship with him. They rejected God's voice in favor of a mediator and written law. Exodus 2018 and 19. Now, when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off. Verse 19. And they said to Moses, you speak to us, and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us, lest we die. Now, I get it. It's full on, right? It's a little bit full on. I get it. But isn't it interesting that even in the New Testament, for example, in Luke five, Peter has a similar encounter, and with the multiplication of the fish. And what does he say? Away from me, Lord, I'm a sinful man. Yeah, that's natural. His holy, awesome presence. But Jesus says, don't be afraid. Follow me. From now on, you'll catch men. Moses says the same thing. Don't be afraid. In other words, this is your new normal. This is God's will. He wants you to have this type of relationship with the father. He wants you to understand who he is. So when Jesus was on the earth, he served as a mediator to his disciples until he could fulfill the mission to baptize him in the Holy Spirit so that they could know the presence and voice of God. Personally, I think I've shared this before, but for the sake of those who've never heard me say this, there was a time several years ago, I was actually. Even though I serve in the apostolic space, for years, I was recognized in the body of Christ as a prophetic minister, and I can step into that. God has given me that gift, and I've learned how to develop that over the years. But what I found is, in that place, it was like, I turn it on in order to give people a word. So we traveled, itinerant traveled, and we go to places, and guess what people wanted? They come forward for prayer. Mobile phone. Boom, right? I'm like, no pressure, right? And I'm like, really, guys? So sometimes, what's the word from the Lord? The word from the Lord is get on your face until he speaks to you. Yeah, I said it. True story, facts. But we're not fostering this codependent thing, right? We all can hear from God, but we have to have a heart that, first of all, we believe it. We know it's ours by covenant. He wants to speak to you. He wants to lead you. He wants to reveal things to you. It's amazing. I mean, I have seen God literally reveal things to me in dreams that solved massive problems. And I'm telling you, like, one time, because we're involved in media and we've developed this whole online television network thing. I can tell you there was a time when we were struggling in terms of, how do we solve this particular problem we were having with technology? And I had different engineers look into it, and they came back to me and said, you should do this. And for whatever reason, maybe they weren't the best engineers. They weren't able to come up to a solution. I had a dream, and in the dream, I literally saw the solution, and I went and I implemented it. I'm a visionary. I'm not an engineer. I went and implemented it, and it worked, and it solved the problem. I've had my kids, and Lynn is crazy prophetic. She didn't talk about. But I've had my kids say things to me when I'm in the car driving and holy spirit. Boom. Say this, and I'd say it, and they'd go, how'd you know? So you're not going to get away with it? Not on my watch. He's a revealer of the secrets of the heart. He can do that. He can reveal things. But here's the thing, he wants to lead us, guys. And what I realized is often we've been more focused on signs than on hearing his voice. One day, as I would see a plethora of comments on social media, you know the number, blah, blah, blah, blah, this symbol, this sign, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, okay, it's all right. I guess God can speak that way. But I felt like holy spirit said to me one day, Glenn, why would you settle for sign language when you can hear my voice? And then he said, only the heart of hearing. Oh. So what was the most common thing Jesus said when he was on the earth? It's not only in the gospels, but it's in the book of revelation as well, repeatedly. He who has an ear, let him hear. It's the number one thing he said. He who has an ear, let him hear. See, this is all about experiencing revelation from him. See, the Holy Spirit is literally the one who's been sent by Jesus. See, John 1416, and I will pray the Father, and he will give you another helper, one just like me that will abide with you forever. He's not just going to visit you, he's going to abide with you forever. Powerful. So literally, that word parakleitos literally means the one who's called to be beside us. And in greek culture and biblical times, this word spoke of one who encouraged, supported and strengthened others, especially those that were facing hard challenges. It was often used of a military officer who met with his troops the night before battle, exhorting them to prevail, urging them to victory. And he would remind them also of his planned presence, to be with them in the heat of the war, leading the charge. Yeah, that's the same word that's used for Holy Spirit. Powerful. He's with us. See, I can say this. Some people say it's really hard being a Christian. Can I tell you something? You haven't lived long enough. If you think it's hard. It's not hard. It's impossible. Truth. We cannot live the life that God has called us to in our own strength, with our own ability, you will receive power. Ooh, that was powerful. Sounded like j long there. You will receive power. Come on. When Holy Spirit comes upon you. Right? Power. Dunamis, which means divine ability. Remember when Jesus went to his hometown, Nazareth? Says he wasn't able to do any mighty works there. The Niv says he wasn't able to do any miracles there. It's the same word as Dunamis. Dunamis means supernatural power. In this context, miracles, you will receive miraculous divine ability and power. Wow. To witness of. Maybe so if we can do it, it's not God. Hello. 99% of Christianity operates in the flesh, not in the spirit. We cannot do what God's called us to do in our own natural ability and by human effort. We need Holy Spirit, we need wisdom, we need strength, we need his power. We need his righteousness. We need all of this. And if we're going to overcome, we know the Bible says it is not by might, it is not by power, but by my spirit. In other words, it's not by human ability. It's by his spirit. It's by his power. This is amazing. Let's close with this. Get the worship team to come out, please. Two Corinthians 1314. I want you to please never forget that. Holy Spirit wants to be your ally, your closest friend. He's a person. He's not a force. He's not just a presence. He's a person. He's God. Holy Spirit wants to be your closest ally. Two Corinthians 1314. Paul says this. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Now, it's very interesting. He speaks of the communion of Holy Spirit. Jesus taught in John 15, the branch and the vine and the branches. He was speaking to them all about communion. 14th chapter, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit. 15th chapter. Branches and vines. Was he digressing? No. 16th chapter. Back to the topic of Holy Spirit. What's he saying? He's saying, you're called to abide to live and dwell in Holy Spirit. You're called to have that relationship with Holy Spirit where he leads you. Sometimes we need just to stop and just pray and say, God, give me wisdom. Give me a strategy. See, the Bible says holy Spirit will even show us what to pray and how to pray. There's so much available to us, we think we need to pray this way. Have you ever prayed something that was like God says, like, just shut up? Like, honestly, I felt like one time I was praying, praying, praying, and as God was like, would you just be quiet and ask me? And I'm like, okay. He goes, you're not listening. And I ask, okay, what is that? This is what you need to do. Wow. Changes everything. Real life. Real life is not some ethereal, mystical, you know, presence. He's real. He's a person who wants to live in us and dwell with us. The Bible says he calls us to communion, the communion of the Holy Spirit. The message, which is a paraphrase, does capture what it means. It says you're called to the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit. The intimate friendship. Holy Spirit. Wow. Prophecy was never meant to be the substitute. No. He wants to speak to you and to I. He wants to speak to us. He desires to reveal himself to us. This is a way. Walk in it. Remember that verse. You will hear a voice. Whether you turn to the left or the right, you'll hear a voice behind you saying, this is a way. I mean, can't be King James, walk ye in it. I mean, can't be thou. But the point is, I want to lead you. I want to guide you. I want to pray for people this morning. You don't have to wait until the 19 may to be filled with Holy Spirit because Pentecost is a done deal. Yeah, we're not waiting for Holy Spirit anymore. They waited for ten days. He came. He's waiting for us. [00:58:52] Speaker B: Thank you for joining us. We hope that you enjoyed today's podcast and we realise that not everyone has had the opportunity to respond to the good news of the gospel. And for this reason, in all of our services and platforms, we want to extend to you the opportunity to follow Jesus. The Bible teaches us that we have been created for a relationship with God. However, sin, which is essentially disobedience, independence and disbelief, or us simply missing the mark, entered the world and separated us from God. Romans chapter six, verse 23 says that the wages of sin is death and a debt was owed. And the Bible tells us that he, Jesus, demonstrated his love for us, that while we were still sinners, he died for us. Jesus paid the penalty for our sin. John 316 says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God so loved the world that he gave us Jesus, that whoever believes in him will be saved. All that is required of anyone is that they believe in Jesus. The son of God who came, lived, died and rose again so that we could be forgiven, made right and given the right to become children of God and to have life forevermore with him. Today you can begin a relationship with Jesus. To believe in him is to simply to respond with faith in our hearts and confess with our mouths that he is Lord and we do that through a simple prayer. Follow along with me dear Jesus, I believe that you are the son of God. I thank you that you love me and came to forgive me of my sin. I repent from my old way of life and I turn to follow you. I receive the free gift of eternal life and I ask that you fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I can live a life of following after you. I thank you that I am born again as a child of God and that I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. Amen. If you prayed this prayer for the first time, we would love to connect with you and connect you to your next step and the local church in your area. You can contact us on our website at Numa Church. Thanks for listening.